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Brief Lives

Henry Odera Oruka (1944-1995)

Robin Attfield looks at the life of a dedicated promoter of African philosophy.

The philosopher Henry Odera Oruka was born in 1944 at Ugenya in western Kenya. In his youth he became well acquainted with the customs and traditions of the Luo people. Having won a scholarship, he first encountered philosophy while studying for an undergraduate degree at the University of Uppsala in Sweden, under the supervision of Ingemar Hedenius. This experience proved crucial for his subsequent development.

Around the time of Oruka’s graduation, Hedenius was appointed to a Professorship at Wayne State University, Detroit, and arranged for Oruka to be awarded a post there as a graduate assistant.

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